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coolbreeze2

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 24, 2009
1,781
1,475
I have Ventura installed in MBP but need Monterey to remain the OS for my iMac. My iMac is my studio computer for my music business and has a long list of critical 3rd party software that historically can take up to a year to become compatible with a new macOS version.

I have the iMac unchecked to have updates automatically installed. However, it has already begun to advise that Ventura is available. I would like this update to not appear and not notify me. However, any updates for Monterey I would like to receive.

Is this possible?

Screen Shot 2022-10-26 at 9.52.08 AM.png
 

bogdanw

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2009
5,691
2,724
On Big Sur, running softwareupdate -l in Terminal removes the notification, but it didn't remove it in Monterey for me. Maybe you are luckier. :)
 

coolbreeze2

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 24, 2009
1,781
1,475
On Big Sur, running softwareupdate -l in Terminal removes the notification, but it didn't remove it in Monterey for me. Maybe you are luckier. :)
Ok I tried but it didn't work for me either.
 

HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
Just learn to ignore notifications like that.

If the concern is related- how to upgrade other things without also upgrading to Ventura- the system handles that easily. For example, on launch of Ventura, there was also an option to upgrade Monterey to 12.6.1. Because I'm also cautious about jumping on Ventura, I chose only the 12.6.1 upgrade instead. It installed, which also brought the latest Safari too and I'm still on Monteray with Ventura still prompting me to upgrade.

I won't go Ventura until I'm much more confident about it. I feel like I've been enough of a live beta tester through all of Monterey's 6.1 upgrades. I don't want to reset to .0 and go through all that "just one software update away from fixing..." again. I'll wait for about .3 or .4 unless objective reviews (which are not the "friends of Apple Marketing" who get first access for pre-release "reviews") convince me that it really is all very positive right now.

While I am just about an Apple everything guy, they've lost my confidence that "just works" still matters to them. It seems the new slogan should be "mostly works."
 
Last edited:

russell_314

macrumors 603
Feb 10, 2019
6,045
9,006
USA
Just learn to ignore notifications like that.

If the concern is related- how to upgrade other things without also upgrading to Ventura- the system handles that easily. For example, on launch of Ventura, there was also an option to upgrade Monterey to 12.6.1. Because I'm also cautious about jumping on Ventura, I chose to only to the 12.6.1 upgrade instead. It installed, which also brought the latest Safari too and I'm still on Monetary with Ventura still prompting me to upgrade.

I won't go Ventura until I'm much more confident about it. I feel like I've been enough of a live beta tester through all of Monterey's 6.1 upgrades. I don't want to reset to .0 and go through all that "just one software update away from fixing..." again. I'll wait for about .3 or .4 unless objective reviews (which are not the "friends of Apple Marketing who get first access for pre-release "reviews") convince me that it really is all very positive right now.

While I am just about an Apple everything guy, they've lost my confidence that "just works" still matters to them. It seems the new slogan should be "mostly works."
I'm doing the exact same thing. I'm going to wait before upgrading just so everyone else can iron out the bugs. Maybe when 13.1 comes out I'll go with Ventura. Some days I think the slogan should be "kind of, sort of works, sometimes"

Monterey will still get security updates so make sure you click the "Other updates are available" to get those.
 

choppsv1

macrumors newbie
Sep 12, 2022
5
28
"just learn to ignore notifications like that."

The problem is I'm so trained to jump on the system preferences notification bubble to make sure I have security updates. It's like a little jolt of anxiety everytime I notice it. Oh well.. I'll upgrade to 13.1 after it's shipped and stable for a bit so it's not too long to bear.
 
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bogdanw

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2009
5,691
2,724
Success! :)
update.jpg
According to Apple, next major macOS version can be deferred for 90 days.
https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/test-and-defer-software-updates-depd30715cbb/web
13.0 Hidden by MDM until 01/22/2023 https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/use-mdm-to-deploy-software-updates-depafd2fad80/web

I posted before about this https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...e-updates-in-apps-store.2222270/post-28552515
but now we have more information and a more convenient way: iMazing Profile Editor https://imazing.com/guides/getting-started-with-imazing-profile-editor

After installing the app, check for Manifest Repository Updates from the main menu, then restart the app. In General, give a name to the profile (Defer-Vetura), select System for payload scope, then add Restrictions – Updates: Defer Major OS Software Updates and Defer Major Software Updates Delay for 90 days (or your desired number between 1 and 90). Save the profile and install it.
I had to delete the contents of /Library/Updates, /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist, ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist and reboot for the notification to disappear.
 

rpmurray

macrumors 68020
Feb 21, 2017
2,148
4,319
Back End of Beyond
If you have the space you could just download the installer but not actually do the install. Just having the installer in the Applications folder should be enough to keep the notification from showing up. There was another thread in the forums where one user had trimmed down the installer for, I believe it was Monterey, to just those components of the package that were needed to keep the notification from popping up. I don't happen to have a link at hand.
 

davidlv

macrumors 68020
Apr 5, 2009
2,291
874
Kyoto, Japan
Just learn to ignore notifications like that.

If the concern is related- how to upgrade other things without also upgrading to Ventura- the system handles that easily. For example, on launch of Ventura, there was also an option to upgrade Monterey to 12.6.1. Because I'm also cautious about jumping on Ventura, I chose only the 12.6.1 upgrade instead. It installed, which also brought the latest Safari too and I'm still on Monteray with Ventura still prompting me to upgrade.

I won't go Ventura until I'm much more confident about it. I feel like I've been enough of a live beta tester through all of Monterey's 6.1 upgrades. I don't want to reset to .0 and go through all that "just one software update away from fixing..." again. I'll wait for about .3 or .4 unless objective reviews (which are not the "friends of Apple Marketing" who get first access for pre-release "reviews") convince me that it really is all very positive right now.

While I am just about an Apple everything guy, they've lost my confidence that "just works" still matters to them. It seems the new slogan should be "mostly works."
If you have trouble ignoring that "Red Badge of Pain", copy this;
defaults write com.apple.systempreferences AttentionPrefBundleIDs 0 && killall Dock
Then run it in terminal but be sure to copy it to a simple text file, and keep that file in an easily accessible place. It will get rid of the red badge for a while (it will come back).
 

bogdanw

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2009
5,691
2,724
If you have the space you could just download the installer but not actually do the install. Just having the installer in the Applications folder should be enough to keep the notification from showing up. There was another thread in the forums where one user had trimmed down the installer for, I believe it was Monterey, to just those components of the package that were needed to keep the notification from popping up. I don't happen to have a link at hand.
That was a slightly different problem, the Monterey installer kept downloading itself, sometimes even for people that were running Monterey.
In Big Sur now, I see Ventura in Software Update, but it doesn’t display a notification and, so far, it didn’t download itself. :)
If you have trouble ignoring that "Red Badge of Pain", copy this;
defaults write com.apple.systempreferences AttentionPrefBundleIDs 0 && killall Dock
Then run it in terminal but be sure to copy it to a simple text file, and keep that file in an easily accessible place. It will get rid of the red badge for a while (it will come back).
It’s easier if you save it in a command file:
Code:
#!/bin/zsh
defaults delete com.apple.systempreferences AttentionPrefBundleIDs
defaults delete com.apple.systempreferences DidShowPrefBundleIDs
killall Dock
The notification will be displayed again when Software Update or the user will search for software updates.
Not my experience. Never upgraded to Catalina so waited close to a year.
You can wait 100 years, the installation is not happening without your consent.
The point of the profile with Defer Major OS Software Updates is to not show the upgrade to Ventura in Software Update and the notification, but continue to display updates and notifications for Monterey.
 

CxRoman

macrumors newbie
Jan 8, 2021
1
0
Success! :)
View attachment 2105708
According to Apple, next major macOS version can be deferred for 90 days.
https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/test-and-defer-software-updates-depd30715cbb/web
13.0 Hidden by MDM until 01/22/2023 https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/use-mdm-to-deploy-software-updates-depafd2fad80/web

I posted before about this https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...e-updates-in-apps-store.2222270/post-28552515
but now we have more information and a more convenient way: iMazing Profile Editor https://imazing.com/guides/getting-started-with-imazing-profile-editor

After installing the app, check for Manifest Repository Updates from the main menu, then restart the app. In General, give a name to the profile (Defer-Vetura), select System for payload scope, then add Restrictions – Updates: Defer Major OS Software Updates and Defer Major Software Updates Delay for 90 days (or your desired number between 1 and 90). Save the profile and install it.
I had to delete the contents of /Library/Updates, /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist, ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist and reboot for the notification to disappear.
This worked great for me! Thanks for the tip!
 

davidlv

macrumors 68020
Apr 5, 2009
2,291
874
Kyoto, Japan
Success! :)
View attachment 2105708
According to Apple, next major macOS version can be deferred for 90 days.
https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/test-and-defer-software-updates-depd30715cbb/web
13.0 Hidden by MDM until 01/22/2023 https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/use-mdm-to-deploy-software-updates-depafd2fad80/web

I posted before about this https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...e-updates-in-apps-store.2222270/post-28552515
but now we have more information and a more convenient way: iMazing Profile Editor https://imazing.com/guides/getting-started-with-imazing-profile-editor

After installing the app, check for Manifest Repository Updates from the main menu, then restart the app. In General, give a name to the profile (Defer-Vetura), select System for payload scope, then add Restrictions – Updates: Defer Major OS Software Updates and Defer Major Software Updates Delay for 90 days (or your desired number between 1 and 90). Save the profile and install it.
I had to delete the contents of /Library/Updates, /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist, ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist and reboot for the notification to disappear.
A question, after the 90 days, can you do this again for another 90 days?
 

bogdanw

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2009
5,691
2,724
A question, after the 90 days, can you do this again for another 90 days?
From Apple’s documentation, I understand that is a number of days from the release of version, not from when you install the profile. My guess is that, as 13.0 will no longer be available, 13.1 will also be hidden.
 

ranvel

macrumors newbie
Jul 4, 2018
3
1
After installing the app, check for Manifest Repository Updates from the main menu, then restart the app. In General, give a name to the profile (Defer-Vetura), select System for payload scope, then add Restrictions – Updates: Defer Major OS Software Updates and Defer Major Software Updates Delay for 90 days (or your desired number between 1 and 90). Save the profile and install it.
I had to delete the contents of /Library/Updates, /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist, ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist and reboot for the notification to disappear.
When I went through this, I missed a few things, but also the author left one thing out...
1. I initially missed that this was scoped to "System", this is probably more important than deleting the software update detritus.
2. To delete stuff in the /Library/ folder, I had to turn SIP protection off (I thought I had it turned off, but this was a great reminder).
3. Once I went through this process, it still wasn't working, but I noticed that the "Automatically check for updates" checkbox at the bottom of the software update pane was not checked. I checked that box and that seemed to be the crucial step that made macOS realize that it was all caught up in terms of major OS versions.

Thanks so much for this!
 

bogdanw

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2009
5,691
2,724
2. To delete stuff in the /Library/ folder, I had to turn SIP protection off (I thought I had it turned off, but this was a great reminder).
3. Once I went through this process, it still wasn't working, but I noticed that the "Automatically check for updates" checkbox at the bottom of the software update pane was not checked.
Sorry, I tend to forget what’s not allowed by SIP :)
Anyway, it’s probably not necessary to delete anything.
As Apple says software update performs checks every 6 hours, the notification might disappear by itself.
 

forrie

macrumors regular
Mar 6, 2008
161
134
There are many reasons why folks won't want (or need) to upgrade, some of them having to do with real-world development and QA. It would be nice if Apple would accommodate this... it should be very obvious to them by now.
 
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Yebubbleman

macrumors 603
May 20, 2010
5,795
2,380
Los Angeles, CA
MDM (read: via a configuration profile) deferral will at least make the prompt go away until January 22nd, 2023. Past that and you'll have to just ignore the badge notification. That being said, even without a deferral in place, it's both possible and easy to keep Monterey current without upgrading. Also, the Ventura installer will not run without approval, especially on an Apple Silicon Mac.
 

profdraper

macrumors 6502
Jan 14, 2017
331
250
Brisbane, Australia
There are many reasons why folks won't want (or need) to upgrade, some of them having to do with real-world development and QA. It would be nice if Apple would accommodate this... it should be very obvious to them by now.
Exactly. And the answer to the OP is 'no' ... what a lot of codswallop. Just a checkbox 'computer says 'no', for f's sake.
 
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Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,644
4,044
New Zealand
Interestingly, despite launching 5 weeks ago, I have yet to get the notification in the first place. I haven't deferred updates, so I wonder what actually triggers it...
 

Jack Neill

macrumors 68020
Sep 13, 2015
2,267
2,293
San Antonio Texas
Interestingly, despite launching 5 weeks ago, I have yet to get the notification in the first place. I haven't deferred updates, so I wonder what actually triggers it...
The red dot drives me nuts on my Mojave and Catalina machines. But I also have not had the red dot show up on my 2017 MBP and if I run SU it shows 13 but I have no red dot. That's the best Apple feature of the year for me..
 

posguy99

macrumors 68020
Nov 3, 2004
2,282
1,531
Exactly. And the answer to the OP is 'no' ... what a lot of codswallop. Just a checkbox 'computer says 'no', for f's sake.
I'm not understanding how Apple does not accommodate here? Unset the Update check box, get on with your life. Despite what the tin-foil hat brigade would like to claim, Apple doesn't force a new version of macOS onto the machine.
 

Basic75

macrumors 68000
May 17, 2011
1,938
2,252
Europe
The problem is I'm so trained to jump on the system preferences notification bubble to make sure I have security updates. It's like a little jolt of anxiety everytime I notice it. Oh well.. I'll upgrade to 13.1 after it's shipped and stable for a bit so it's not too long to bear.
At least you're not getting an OS update notification for a major release that is incompatible with the machine showing the notification! That was the most ridiculous notification I ever got from Apple. Multiple times on the same machine!
 

MadMagezz

macrumors newbie
Dec 31, 2022
2
1
Belarus
After installing the app, check for Manifest Repository Updates from the main menu, then restart the app. In General, give a name to the profile (Defer-Vetura), select System for payload scope, then add Restrictions – Updates: Defer Major OS Software Updates and Defer Major Software Updates Delay for 90 days (or your desired number between 1 and 90). Save the profile and install it.
I had to delete the contents of /Library/Updates, /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist, ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist and reboot for the notification to disappear.
I very appreciate this post. It helped me a lot, and saved tons of nerves and searches. Made this fix on work on all MacBooks for my team. Thanks :)
 
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